Governor Bill Lee Announces 2020 Staff Additions

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 | 04:00pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced six new additions to his staff.

"Here at the State Capitol, we have a tremendous group of professionals working on behalf of Tennesseans across our state," said Governor Lee. "I'm proud to announce these new hires and value the experience they bring to our team."

The governor named the following to his staff today:

·         Valerie Yancey – Assistant Director for Legislation

·         Gillum Ferguson – Interim Press Secretary

·         Eric Mayo – Legislative Liaison

·         Heidi Ridley – Assistant Scheduler

·         Spenser Carder – Assistant for Constituent Services

·         Hannah Torbett – Assistant to Senior Advisor Brandon Gibson

Valerie Yancey joins Governor Lee's staff after six years with the University of Tennessee's Government Relations and Advocacy office. While there, she covered legislative and regulatory interests for the system. Additionally, she spent 24 years working in policy and research for the House and Senate Republicans and served in Governor Haslam's administration as Director of Legislation for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. Yancey is a graduate of Lambuth University.

Gillum Ferguson previously served as the Tennessee Communications Director for the American Federation for Children. Before AFC, he was the Press Secretary at the Tennessee Republican Party. Ferguson has also served at the U.S. Department of Education as a Special Assistant to Secretary Betsy DeVos. Ferguson is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Eric Mayo currently serves as a Legislative Liaison for Governor Lee. Previously, Mayo has spent time working on campaigns across Tennessee and has served as a Research and Operations Associate with the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Mayo is a graduate of the University of Alabama.

Heidi Ridley currently serves as Governor Lee’s Assistant Scheduler. She previously served as an engrossing clerk for the House of Representatives and is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University.

Spenser Carder is a Lipscomb University graduate and currently serves as the Assistant for Constituent Services. Previously, Spenser worked as a Bill Clerk for the Tennessee Senate.

Hannah Torbett joins Governor Lee's staff as an assistant to senior advisor Brandon Gibson. Torbett is a recent Lipscomb University graduate and has previously worked as a legal intern at the American Center for Law and Justice.